Madonna had an unusual backstage demand at the Live Earth concert: make eye contact.
While some stars issue edicts demanding that minions not look them in the eye, the Material Girl startled organizers of the global warming awareness concert by reportedly insisting that anyone who interviewed her backstage at Wembley Stadium was not allowed to look away.
“Eye contact must be maintained at all times,” interviewers were told, according to the London Mirror. “Never look down to check notes — all questions must be memorized or the interview will be terminated.”
“We thought her people were just joking,” a source told the paper. “But it soon became apparent that they were deadly serious.”
Interviewers were also given a list of questions they were not allowed to ask: no inquiries about the state of her marriage to director Guy Ritchie, about their adoption of a Malawian child, or about her religion, Kabbalah.
“She did not want to do any interviews, which I told the Live Earth folks from the start,” Madonna’s rep told The Scoop, adding that she didn’t know about any backstage demands.
Ouch! Taking method acting too farAaron Eckhart is willing to suffer for his art.
The “Thank You For Smoking” star is appearing in a film called “Bill” with Jessica Alba, and he says he put clothespins on his private parts to help his acting.
“I had to pretend that my nuts hurt, so I put a clothespin on my nuts,” Eckhart told Men’s Journal. “Otherwise, you’re just learning your lines and saying them. There’s no art in that. People say, ‘Why do you want to put a clothespin on your nuts?’ You know why? Because that’s what I do for a living.”
Notes from all overWhile in Brazil recently, Kiefer Sutherland gave a glimpse into the upcoming season of “24” and what his character, Jack Bauer will be up to. “Bauer will be his own boss, at the end of the sixth season he’s tired, disillusioned with the government and doesn’t want to have anything more to do with the presidency,” Sutherland said while in Brazil recently. “He’s going to be on his own.” Sutherland was in country shooting an ad for Citroen. ... A source says that Britney Spears’ forthcoming single will be called “Get Back” and adds, “It’s a very new sound for her. I think people will be surprised .” ... Chris Tucker says he wouldn’t do the n-world-filled dialogue from “Jackie Brown” now. “Back then I wasn’t even thinking that much about how words like that affect people. But I do now,” Tucker told Playboy magazine regarding the 1997 film. “I’m a different person now. Hopefully, we evolve as we get older. Hopefully, we better ourselves.”
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